Arteta should be ready to give Riccardo Calafiori his full Arsenal debut at last | OneFootball

Is Ricardo Calafiori ready for his first Arsenal start after an international break? So far, since moving to the Emirates stadium, the Italian recruit has only made cameo appearances.

He played 27 minutes in Arsenal’s 2-0 Emirates Cup victory over Lyon. He did not feature in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Wolves; however, he did play 11 minutes in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa and 32 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Brighton.

With Declan Rice (red card) and Mikel Merino (injury) set to miss the derby, the Italian has a chance for his first Arsenal start. One of Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, and Oleksander Zinchenko can fill in for Rice/Merino in midfield with Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey.

However, given the momentum Timber has gained while playing inverted left back, there is every reason to believe he will be the one to play midfield.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s defensive shortcomings will likely hinder him from starting at left back if Timber shifts to midfield. So Calafiori should get his first start in the left-back position. The ex-Bologna man is technically gifted and is a defender who can both defend and contribute in attack (which is why we signed him).

Once subbed on against Brighton, the 10-man Arsenal looked much better defensively; it wasn’t like the Seagulls were going to score every minute like it felt before his introduction. So, are you looking forward to Calafiori’s debut?

Daniel O

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